Lawless
by johnwardlaw
Summary: Ryo Kurtzs has been sent to the Imperial Prison on Dathomir to carry out a lengthy sentence for arms dealing and bounty hunting during The Dark Times. He befriends a group of new inmates and one particularly mysterious man who reveals his true identity to the group, attempting to recruit them for a special 'mission'.


Title: LAWLESS

Author: Snokers

Summary:

Time Frame: 2 BBY

Characters: OC-centric

Chapter One

There were no viewports in the holding chamber of the Imperial transport but Ryo Kurtzs knew they had broken through the planet's atmosphere when he felt a light tremor reverberate through the ship.

They were here. Dathomir.

There were fourteen prisoners in the dimly lit area including Ryo, him being one of two humans, the rest were a mixture of species ranging from a grouchy looking Duros who had fallen asleep shortly after they left Coruscant to a jittery Weequay who's continuously moving feet and wild eyes gave off the impression that he was an addict of some kind. They were all being carted off to the Imperial Prison on Dathomir, most for murder cases of varying degrees, others for high treason against the Galactic Empire. Everyone was piled onto two benches that sat opposite one another, seven on one side and seven on the other, all with their left hands chained to a table that separated the two groups, two Stormtroopers at either side sporting E-11 blaster rifles.

Ryo had been operating as an arms dealer turned bounty hunter on the capital world for the past five of his twenty eight years, specialising in taking out targets within the ranks of the Empire, hired by people who had some sort of grudge against the powers that be. He was earning good money but with each job came great risk, hunting down Imperial officials wasn't like shooting Grantaloupe in the forests of Kashyyyk, people would notice when they went missing – granted the Emperor himself might view the loss of a single fleet admiral as more of an annoyance than a tragedy but the only mercenaries deemed 'lawful' in the eyes of Empire were the ones working to aid in the Empires own agenda.

Ryo waited until he felt the ship touch ground before risking another scan around him of the less than favourable characters he'd likely be spending the next ten to fifty years of his life with. He didn't want to make enemies before he'd even got his bearings on this new planet so a quick glance was all he took. Almost every prisoner was wearing an impressive poker face (save for the trembling druggy and the hot headed old Duros). A bazaar thought entered Ryo's mind as the commanding Stormtrooper began to push buttons on a keypad secured to the wall, the thought was that he hadn't taken a moment to savour the last time he saw a female, after all, he wasn't likely to come across one for a long, long time, if at all.

The trooper who had gone over to the keypad flipped a switch after punching in some codes and the chains connecting each prisoner to the durasteel centre table were all simultaneously released. Before anyone had time to even rub their aching wrists that had been bound for what seemed like days, all four Stormtroopers had their rifles raised and trained on the two groups. The commander spoke up, his voice coming cerebral and monotone from his helmet.

"Alright, listen up. Here's how this is going to work, you will all form an orderly line in front of the exit ramp. When the platform opens, you don't move a muscle until I say so. When I do say so, you raise your hands behind your heads and TK-839 will cuff you. After that… it's on with the tour." The last five words were accompanied by a menacing sneer.

There was silence among the convicts and the trooper did not ask for any confirmation that his instructions had been understood. Everyone stood up, Ryo watched the old Duros let out a crackly groan as he rose from the bench with his hand behind him pressed against the small of his back and noted the Weequay's legs shaking as he rose from his seat, struggling with the slightly lower gravity. The young human stifled a smirk.

Ryo was third in line to be cuffed, TK-839 promptly secured his hands and pulled them behind his back, as he did this Ryo felt a mixture of unease and humiliation when the Stormtrooper nudged his back with the end of his blaster, almost causing him to trip over his own feet. "Move along, move along."

The door opened and white smoke rose from either side of the ramp as the two groups that had now become one walked down it with four blasters still trained firmly on them. It was daybreak on Dathomir, the sun rising in the east lighting up the deep orange-red sky. They had landed on a long path that lead to a building Ryo had no doubt in his mind was the entrance to the Imperial prison. The colossal structure had the look of an old castle fused with a modern insane asylum. The windows were plenty and they looked like tiny slits that even the most slender of beings would find impossible to use as an escape if the place should burn to the ground. The facility was made up on three separate buildings and a yard that could just be seen by the group toward the back of the buildings finished with high, jagged, no doubt electrified fences.

As they all stood in awe.

Without warning Ryo was hit abruptly from behind and sent tumbling to the ground without his hands free to break the fall, knocking over the ancient Duros on his way down who let out a loud groan. Ryo spat out a mouthful of sand and gravel and looked up to see the Sullustan who had charged them from behind running aimlessly into the desert away from the path with his hands still tied behind his back, screaming repeatedly in his native language. He got about twenty meters away when the commanding trooper spoke up, again in an irritated, monotone voice.

"He's too out of range to be stunned, take him out."

The trooper to his right complied and aimed his weapon towards the fleeing prisoner. He shot a crimson bolt from his E-11 which connected dead centre with the Sullustan's back and exited straight through his chest. He fell down flat on his front, large jowls wiggling for a moment before he lay motionless in the sand.

"Scum." whispered the marksman.

An ominous silence washed over the entire group like a tsunami and the harsh reality of the Empire's brutality set in. "Make no mistake, gentleman. Nonconformity and… _stupidity_ will _not_ be tolerated." The commander's words came out through gritted teeth under his helmet. Ryo stared at the dead being in the distance, trying to analyse in his mind how his life could have ended up taking such a drastic turn for the worse. He was prodded harder in the back this time. "Move along."

The group had been thoroughly searched upon beginning their transfer back on Coruscant so when they walked through the doors of the prisons main unit they were quickly processed one by one and sent into a large empty room with a balcony walkway that ran in a square around the room a few meters below the high ceiling. They stood side by side in one long line, Ryo could feel the Weequay's shoulders rubbing against his as he continued to tremble and shuffle his feet from side to side. It irritated the former bounty hunter but he said nothing. The silence in the foyer was broken when three individuals emerged from a door high up and walked to the edge of the balcony, casting inquisitive eyes down upon the riff raff. The man in the middle, flanked by two imperial guards in black addressed the group.

"Good morning. Welcome to Dathomir, I hope you enjoyed the scenery on your journey in." He moved his hands from behind his back and placed them on the railing. "Because it's the last time you're going to see it for a long time. The great walls in the yard are high." He paused and a slight smile cracked across his pale face. "I am Imperial Inquisitor Olof, overseer of this facility."

Ryo hadn't heard that name before, _Olof_ , but he was familiar with the term Inquisitor, he had heard them described as Jedi Hunters, sent out across the Galaxy by Emperor Palpatine to wipe out the remaining Force wielders that had survived Order 66. He didn't know how much of that was true and he had never knowingly come across one before. He didn't even subscribe to the belief that there was an all-powerful 'Force' controlling each beings destiny and providing people with strange powers of premonitions into the future, telekinetic abilities and conjuring streams of lightning from their fingertips, the whole idea seemed ludicrous to him. Old tales that had been passed down and greatly exaggerated over many a millennia.

Olof spoke again, the guards at either side of him stiff at attention.

"The only way to learn the rules and customs here is through experience and by doing. The word of the guards is law, cells are searched once per day and death sticks, holo-transmitters or any other contraband deemed inappropriate by staff are strictly prohibited." Ryo didn't even have to look over at the Weequay to know the sweat that had beaded on his forehead had probably increased tenfold now. "I am aware that we are one less than we should be, take heed that the fate of the Sullustan outside is the fate of anyone who disrupts our system here. His body will be left to the elements. That is all."

With that, the bald headed man turned and glided back the way he'd come, Imperial guards in tow.

The group was split into two groups of seven, one being taken out into the yard and Ryo's group being ushered into a large recreation room with an assortment of benches bolted firmly to the ground, Sabacc tables and a corner booth where two Ithorians were engaged in a game of holochess. The Stormtroopers they'd travelled with relieved the group of their cuffs and exited the room, securing the doors behind them.

None of the twenty or so inmates in the rec-room – all dressed in brown jumpsuits - seemed to take any notice of the new arrivals, busy with their own conversations, one human man even asleep with his arms folded and legs stretched out on a chess table. Ryo decided to make the first move, the residents clearly weren't going to be putting them through any kind of gruelling or test their will in a brawl, at least not yet anyway. He made his way over to a vacant Sabacc table and the others promptly joined him, each taking a seat except for the Weequay who still shuffled from side to side as he stood beside the table, hands still behind his back even though they'd been unbound. Ryo decided to break the ice first.

"So what's everyone here fo—"

He was interrupted mid-sentence by the old Duros.

"How are you supposed to play Sabacc with no credits?"

Plain faces all round as they all realized the old man had a point. The Duros spoke again.

"Forgery and fraud, a lot of it. I've spent a lot of time inside. My name's Daxor by the way, kids, Daxor Ferro. Do _not_ call me 'Dax'."

Ryo gave a smile and nod. He introduced himself next.

"Ryo Kurtzs, arms dealing."

He left out the part about bounty hunting for now and looked over to the next in line around the table, a Chiss who gave Ryo a humouring look with his piercing, crimson eyes, placing both elbows on the sable and cradling his head in his hands.

"Quint Sydon, wrongly convicted of murder."

Ryo gave a non-judgemental nod and eyed the next man around the table, the only other human among them, he spoke in a quiet, hesitant voice.

"Just Tarkano… treason."

Ryo allowed a few seconds for him to elaborate but when he didn't the Weequay that stood beside the table addressed the group.

"I'm Niko, drug and spice smuggling. Multiple counts."

"Seems like you must've gotten bored on the journeys and taken some for yourself." Daxor snorted, which was met with a furrowed brow and indignant look from the Weequay but he didn't retaliate against the old alien. Everyone then cast their eyes to the last in line, a young male Zabrack, pale in complexion. He lifted his head, struggling to make eye contact with anyone around the table. Daxor turned to face him directly, clutching the small of his back again as he did.

"Well come on, son, what got you here?" he asked in an irritated tone.

The Zabrak cleared his throat and placed his horned head in his hands.

"Explosives and Arson, I have a slight weakness for bomb science and construction, thermal detonators, imploders, anything that goes _boom_. Probably could've made an honest, promising career out of it but oh well. A few smuggling charged also linked to explosives." He attempted a friendly smile.

Ryo got there before the cynical old Duros did…

"And your name?"

The Zabrak hesitated for a second before he spoke.

"Alderaan."

"Alderaan?" Daxor snorted again. "Alderaan? As in the planet?"

The Zabrak was looking suitably embarrassed.

"Yeah, my mother grew up there."

Daxor continued to snigger. "She certainly has a sense of humour. So, we've got a rich kid in our midst huh?"

Alderaan looked annoyed by his comment and Ryo stepped in before an argument started. He gestured to the Sabacc table before them.

"Guess we'll just be playing for fun then."

The conversation around the table had been going for almost an hour and with no credits to enjoy a real game of Sabacc, they regaled each other with condensed life stories and a particularly long tale of Daxor's years in the unknown regions which to Ryo seemed like it had been exaggerated a fair bit and the old grump was probably making half of it up as he went along. Ryo had noticed that the other human, Tarkano, had been silent, sitting there biting his fingernails with an intensely thoughtful look on his face.

"Anything to contribute?" Ryo addressed the man directly.

Tarkano ceased gnawing at his fingers and looked up casting his eyes around the table and then settling on Ryo. "I uh…" There was a troubled look beginning on his face. The man pulled his chair in closer to the group and spoke in a discreet tone.

"Listen, I don't have a whole lot of time, it won't be long before the Imperials realize who I am." This was met with cocked heads and inquisitive frowns from everyone.

"I was supposed to be brought before the Grand Moff after trial but I managed to hack into their systems and switch my details with a prisoner who was being transferred here. I assume you're all familiar with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. I've been oper—"

He was cut off by the Chiss who started loud and then trailed off into a whisper at the end of his sentence.

"You mean the rebellion?"

Tarkano had everyone's attention now. He took a look around at the other groups littered around the room before he continued.

"Yes, the rebellion. I'm carrying a data chip in my left hand." He slammed the hand on the table which made a heavy _clink_ against the table. A synthetic hand.

"The data on this chip contains vital information that needs to get to Yavin IV. I probably only have hours before my cover is blown and they _will_ find the chip if they find it and they will remove it.

This was the most energetic Ryo had seen the man since they landed on this rock. Daxor raised a long, grey finger in protest.

"Hold on, why are you telling us this? If you are really working for the alliance any one of us could signal a guard right now. Unless… unless you want our help?"

"I can't get out of here on my own, I've never even seen a schematic of this place. I'm trained to infiltrate places not break of them. They'll kill me if I'm caught and destroy the information I have."

The talking stopped. Even Daxor held his tongue for a moment. Ryo looked into the mans eyes to see if this was really a member of the Rebel Alliance or just some shameless attempt to deceive them into helping him get off Dathomir.

"I don't care what you've all done. This could even be redemption for you."

The Chiss looked indignant. 

"I don't need to be redeemed. I'm innocent."

Tarkano wiped the sweat from his brow and clutched his dark beard between two fingers, giving everyone a look of what seemed like sincerity.

"Are you with me?"


End file.
